Classes begin Aug. 13 at YPW Spanish Immersion's new Dual Language Elementary School located inside Westlake Hills Methodist Church.
How it works
Per its website, the school utilizes a full immersion model where 90% of kindergarten and first grade instruction is delivered in Spanish. The model gradually increases English instruction each year.
The school will focus on foundational skills in reading, spelling and handwriting, said YPW General Director Monica Moreno in an email to Community Impact, utilizing a "multisensory approach [and] incorporating visual, auditory, and kinesthetic techniques to teach phonological awareness, phonics, and handwriting."
Popular extracurricular activities include robotics, cooking and art, Moreno said.
What you need to know
Registration is currently open for kindergarten and first grade students. The school plans to add a grade level each year through fifth grade, according to a news release.
There are currently about two classrooms per grade level with an average class size of 15 to 20 students with two teachers, Moreno said. Full-day kindergarten and first grade classes run from 8 a.m. to 3 p.m.
Annual tuition rates come in at $17,550 for kindergarten and $19,220 for first grade.
YPW has another location in Westlake and a school in Northwest Austin.
What else?
The school is also expanding its after-school program, featuring two-, three- or five-day week options and will pick up from all five EISD elementary schools.
Per the news release, YPW will use a revamped Spanish curriculum using the Common European Framework Reference, or CEFR, which has levels:
- A1 for low beginner speakers
- A2 for advanced beginner speakers
- B1 for low intermediate speakers
- B2 for advanced intermediate speakers, or the level where students could live, work or study in a Spanish-speaking country
Last November, EISD officials said discontinuing its Spanish Immersion program—which had approximately 700 students across five elementary schools at the time—could yield $600,000 in savings by reducing costs for program stipends and Spanish instructional materials.
In January, the board of trustees voted to discontinue the program ahead of a multimillion dollar budget shortfall.
